New water charge for public open spaces

With the aim of ensuring the community continues to have access to green outdoor recreation spaces, Tamworth Regional Council has tonight decided to apply a single charge for treated water use at its parks, reserves, pools, road reserves and carparks.

Tamworth Region Mayor Col Murray said the establishment of a single base rate charge from 1 July 2019 aims to strike a balance between the community’s expectations about provision of public open spaces and the need to provide facilities in a financially sustainable way within the guidelines of the Tamworth Regional Council Drought Management Plan.

“With the ongoing drought, residents of Tamworth, Moonbi and Kootingal in particular are making growing use of Council’s outdoors spaces,’’ he said. “Residents from those areas are not able to water their own yards due to the Level 4 Water Restrictions now in place and they are relying on our green public open spaces for outdoors activities, social get-togethers, family celebrations and the like.”

Cr Murray said Council’s Sport and Recreation Division has a difficult task trying to maintain Council’s open space to the standard the community expects while staying within the allocated budget.

“Each year Council has the job of maintaining more and more outdoor facilities and in dry periods when there is not enough rainfall to sustain parks there is an increased need to use treated water and a related rise in costs,” he said. 

“Bore water is used for watering at most Tamworth sporting fields but at parks where there is only treated water the cost significantly escalates through a tiered consumption charge structure – this new base rate water charge will match the current tier one charge.”

Cr Murray said it is important for Council to continue to provide well maintained green outdoor spaces.

“They form an important part of the quality lifestyle for which our region is known but they also add to the local economy through attracting a variety of sporting competitions here which brings players and spectators here who then spend money at local businesses,” he said.

“Council will continue its efforts to reduce the use of treated water at outdoor recreation spaces and develop more sustainable turf management practices but we will also not move away from providing our community with facilities which are important part of their lifestyle and wellbeing.”